Our Opinion: Quinn’s moves only muddle clout list’ mess

Friday

Aug 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 28, 2009 at 9:12 PM

WHEN THE EXISTENCE of a secret “clout list” of politically connected applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign became known in May via The Chicago Tribune, it was immediately obvious that swift action was necessary to restore credibility to the university’s admissions process.

WHEN THE EXISTENCE of a secret “clout list” of politically connected applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign became known in May via The Chicago Tribune, it was immediately obvious that swift action was necessary to restore credibility to the university’s admissions process.

Gov. Pat Quinn did the right thing in convening the Illinois Admissions Review Commission, which conducted hearings that exposed the inner workings of the clout system. The commission then made recommendations toward ridding the admissions process of political influence.

But Quinn then did the wrong thing in demanding that — in accordance with his commission’s recommendation — all remaining U of I trustees resign immediately. Two of those trustees, James Montgomery and Frances Carroll, refused, saying they had done nothing wrong. In issuing his across-the-board ultimatum to the trustees, Quinn repeated what has quickly become a pattern in his young governorship: Make a strong declaration, vow to stick by it, then back down.

More importantly from our perspective, however, he also dived headlong into the misguided “throw-’em-all-out” mentality that has driven this whole affair.

QUINN NOW IS PAYING the political price for his approach, which critics say is yet another flip-flop. We’re more concerned that the university will suffer in a rush to action that seems more concerned with symbolism than with substance. Shortly after Quinn announced he would not fire Montgomery and Carroll, Senate President John Cullerton said he would revive a dormant “fumigation” bill that would purge all of state government of all board appointees and Rutan-exempt employees hired by Govs. Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan.

We have said all along that this bill is an act of cruelty to hundreds of state employees who may technically qualify for firing under its wording but who in real world terms should not be fired. We like it even less when it is wielded as a weapon to target two nonpaid university trustees who have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

We also have said that Quinn should fumigate the board of trustees who worked the “clout” system on behalf of connected politicians. Clearly, former board chairman Lawrence Eppley did so, and his resignation was the necessary start to cleaning up this mess.

Likewise, trustee Niranjan Shah, who was chair when the scandal broke.

Yet we have never believed a sudden, wholesale scrapping of the university’s leaders, including President B. Joseph White and Chancellor Richard Herman, was a fair or suitable resolution to this crisis. Had Gov. Quinn taken the same approach from the start, he would not be in the tangled position he now finds himself, and a more reasoned and orderly process toward reworking the board of trustees might have prevailed.

KEEP IN MIND that there is a reason the so-called clout list came into existence. It’s because admissions standards at UIUC have become increasingly demanding as the school has grown and prospered into one of the nation’s top universities. Some of that success must be attributed to those who served as trustees and top administrators in recent years.

In pursuing the populist line, Quinn has walked himself deep into a maze with no easy exit in sight. He should have known better. This is a problem that called for a careful solution that would insulate admissions from politics while maintaining steady leadership. Handing out bundles of pink slips might feel good, but it does neither of those things.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Information

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The State Journal-Register ~ Street address: One Copley Plaza (corner of Ninth Street and Capitol Avenue), Springfield, ILMailing address: The State Journal-Register, P.O. Box 219, Springfield, IL 62705-0219 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service